Forefront

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237376023
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3125780090
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Philanthropy, Charity, Voluntarism Promotion

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$16,091,692
Expenses
$9,454,921
Assets
$18,548,679
Liabilities
$2,272,413

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MONIQUE B JONES (PRESIDENT, CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MONIQUE B JONES (PRESIDENT, CEO): $310,826 total reported compensation
  • LISA MAY SIMPSON (CHIEF OF STAFF): $146,697 total reported compensation
  • AERICA CAMILLE LOVE (SR CONSULTANT, CONVERGE): $132,054 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We mobilize our members to work collectively around issues that are important to them and to the sector by enhancing the effectiveness of (a) the organizations and individuals who are the members of the corporation and (b) all nonprofit organizations in the state of Illinois through development of educational programs and informational resources and through the provision of technical assistance; identifying and promoting the role of philanthropy in the state of Illinois; providing opportunities for interaction and communication among the members of the corporation and all nonprofit charitable, religious, literary, scientific and educational organizations in the state of Illinois; fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in the nonprofit sector, and providing support, training and fiscal sponsorship to advance the growth, management and impact of mission driven organizations to more effectively address social challenges with sustainable solutions.

What it reported doing in 2024

Forefront leverages the collective power of philanthropy and nonprofits to improve lives and strengthen communities. Founded in 1974, forefront is the only membership association in Illinois for funders and nonprofits of all kinds, as well as their advisors and consultants. Some 1,100 individuals and institutions belong to forefront, and thousands more benefit from its resources, some of which are free. Forefront is based in chicago but serves the entire state. It is a hub for connection and collaboration as well as a source of research, programs, publications, and other tools, including a free library, that strengthen the effectiveness of philanthropy and nonprofits. Through public policy advocacy and media relations, forefront also serves as a leader and voice for philanthropy and nonprofits, protecting and promoting their critical missions and work.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 87% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 43% for direct work, and 57% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 74
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 50.7%; rating input score 51
  • Program expense ratio: 85.3%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $42.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99%; rating input score 99; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 41.2%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.96; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.3%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.4% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 50.7% of revenue deployed · 85.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 24 of 24 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $8.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $311K · 28 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $1.9M reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 32 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 53 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 50 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 51/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.